Today, U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand urged New Yorkers who may have a 9-11-related physical health condition or believe they may have one in the future, or who have a loved one who died as a result to toxic exposure related to 9-11, to register with the 9-11 Victim Compensation Fund ahead of the Thursday, July 29 deadline. Gillibrand noted that registration is different than filing a claim. According to guidance from the Victim Compensation Fund, “Registration preserves the right to file your claim in the future, waives no legal rights, and does not obligate you to file a claim. Registration serves only to alert the VCF that you may be a potential claimant; and it meets the legal requirement of timeliness set forth in the law.” More information be found at vcf.gov.
“I am urging all New Yorkers who may have a 9-11-related physical health condition, or whose loved one died from 9-11-related causes, to register with the 9-11 Victim Compensation Fund ahead of the July 29 deadline,” said Senator Gillibrand. “We have already lost too many 9-11 heroes and many will become sick in the years to come and we must ensure they receive the help they’ve earned.”
Senator Gillibrand passed the bipartisan Never Forget the Heroes: James Zadroga, Ray Pfeifer, and Luis Alvarez Permanent Authorization of the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund Act in 2019 in order to make the 9-11 Victim Compensation Fund permanent. She first passed the bill in December 2010 —the initial program lasted for five years and created both the World Trade Center (WTC) Health Program and the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund (VCF). It was reauthorized in 2015 and was made permanent in 2019.
The World Trade Center Health Program and September 11th Victim Compensation Fund runs through 2090 to cover the lifespans of all exposed, including the children who were in school in downtown Manhattan on 9-11 and during clean-up and have since experienced, or will experience, adverse health effects that are linked to the attacks.